If you love reading or collecting books, you have probably experienced smelling smoke, especially those old ones. It can be irritating and inconvenient to a book lover to read a book that emits a foul smell.
Luckily, there are different ways to remove this so-called smoke smell from these books. If you are irritated by the foul odor, read this article and learn how to get smoke smell out of books so you can be comfortable reading all books that you like.
Neutralizing the Odor
If you do not like the smoke smell coming from the book, you need to find ways to get rid of the smell quickly. Fortunately, there are household items that you use to neutralize the odor coming from the books.
Baking Soda
Baking soda is known for its absorbing properties, which makes it ideal for removing the smoke smell from the book. If baking soda can remove the odor of the fridge and other items, there is no reason that it cannot remove the smoke smell of the book.
What you can do is get a tub and fill the bottom with baking soda. You can put risers on the baking soda to keep the book off the baking soda powder. Then, you can cover the tub and leave it for a few days. Check the book from time to time and remove the books if the odor is gone.
Dryer Sheets
Dryer sheets which we use with our clothes, can also be used to eliminate the smoke smell of the book. This item reduces static and depositing scents and will help make laundry feel softer to the touch. Fortunately, this item can also help reduce some books’ smoke smell.
You can insert a dryer sheet in a book by putting one side on the page and the other side on another page. Then put it in a zip-lock plastic bag, which is big enough to accommodate the book. Leave it for a few days before checking the odor if it subsides.
Charcoal or Activated Carbon
Another odor absorber that can be used to get rid of the smoke smell is activated charcoal. Like baking soda, this item can react to the compounds that cause the odors, which helps eliminate or reduce the foul smell.
You place the book in a sealed container along with the charcoal or the activated carbon. Leave it for a few days, and then come back to check if the odor has been removed. If the smell is still there, allocate a few more days or until the smell is gone.
Other Neutralizing Items
Aside from the three neutralizing items mentioned above, there are also other items that can be used to eliminate the smoke smell of the books. A commercial cat litter is an item that can be used to eliminate foul odor since it has odor-absorption properties.
Cedar chips, a wood shavings from different types of cedar trees, also come with various cedar trees. Since cedar wood comes with natural oils that emit a pleasant smell, it can also help reduce the smell of the books.
Natural Odor Elimination
One simplest and most natural way to remove the book’s smell is through ventilation. All you have to do is open the book and set it on its tail edge while spreading all its pages to allow proper air circulation.
One option is to use a ventilator indoors or put the book outside and ventilate naturally. Putting it outside is an excellent option for you if and when the weather is dry. But make sure that it is not raining, or the book will end up wet and crumpled.
You can also place the book outside during winter to get lots of fresh winter air. Winter air is dry, which means moisture will not be a problem. Just make sure not to let the book snow on.
A few days in the cold should help the book freshen up after a long time. Doing this technique during the cold season will help eliminate the smoke smell of the book. After all, book reading is the best activity you can do during the winter season.
The Zip-Lock Method
The zip-lock method is a technique that you can use to eliminate the smoke smell of the book. With this technique, you can use other odor-absorbing items to combine with the zip-lock plastic to eliminate the smoke smell of the book.
You can put the book inside the zip-locked plastic bag along with the odor-absorbing items. Leave it for a few days or until the odor will be eliminated entirely inside the bag with the help of the odor-absorbing items.
Conclusion
The smoke smell from books is irritating and brings a unique discomfort when reading. Fortunately, there are different ways to learn how to get smoke smell out of books, as presented in this article. From using simple household items to eliminating the odor naturally, a book owner can do a lot of things to eliminate the foul odor.